Process of hardening copper.



JAMES A. MOLARTY, OF TORONTO, ONTARIQOANADA.

PROCESS OF HARDENING COPPER.

noravsc.

No Drawing.

Specification of Letters Iatent.

Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

Application filed September 11, 1911. Serial No. 648,759.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMnsA. MCLARTY, of the city of Toronto, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Hardening Copper, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a process of ten pering copper and my object is to devise a method imparting a greater degree of hardness to copper than is possible with present known processes and without adding any other metal to form a. copper alloy.

I attain my'object by treatin the copper the manner I will now'des'crlbe in detail. The soft copper is fashioned in the usual manner to form substantially the finished articles and these in any convenientaquantity are then placed in a. closed chamber-which is provided with any convenient means of heating. 'In this chamber the copperarticles are heated to a high temperature .(say 1600 F.) at the same time the chamber is filled with a reducing gas such as carbon-monoxid and in this chamber in'contact with a reducing agent the copper articles 'are allowed to cool. When cold they will be found to have acquired a high'degree of hardness.

The reducing atmosphere in the chambermay be produced by separately generating the gas and conducting it into the chamber by me'ans of suitable ipes. A very effective manner of securing t e desired atmosphere in the treating chamber, consists in coating copper articles with either a hydrocarbon,

such as crude petroleum or a carbohydrate, for example sugar, which when heated will be decomposed and will produce gases. or

vaporscapable of having the desired effect '-up0n the copper. There should be. a considerable excess of the hydrocarbon or carbohydrate employed, whereby a surplus of free carbon in solid form, will'be left in con;

tact with the copper article, in the form of a coating, which condition I find to be very Care should be taken that the carbonaceous material employed is free from sulfur, since the latter'has a very deleterious effect on the copper and prevents its hardness. A. cheap grade of sugar has been found. to excellent results in this process.

What I claim as my invention is 1. Aprocess of hardening copper which .comprises coating the copper with a material including a compound containing both by drogen and carbon; and thereafter heating said COpPeI'ttO a temperature of about 1600 F., and then allowing to remain out of contact with air until cold.

2. A process of hardening copper which comprises coating the copper with a material including carbohydrate and thereafter heatwith air until cold.

T0ronto this 1st day of Sept. 1 91 1;

w JAMES A. MoLARTY. Signed in the presence of'- J. Eow. MArBnn, E. P. HALL,

gl vefavorable to the effectiveness of the process.

ing said copperto'a temperature of about 

